EP4115105B1 - Valve - Google Patents

Description

Valves of the generic type are used in systems for the production of food, beverages, medicines and fine chemical products as well as in biotechnology.

During the maintenance of such systems, it is important to bring at least parts of it into a defined condition and to keep it safely in this condition. For example, it may be necessary to replace a piece of pipe with a device and remove this piece of pipe from the system. So that the piece of pipe can be removed, a valve is shut off in front of and behind it. As long as the pipe section is removed, care must be taken to ensure that the valves remain closed, otherwise there is a risk of contamination of the system and/or loss of product.

The WO 2011/123128 A1 presents a valve for controlling gas flows. A closing member is attached to a valve rod, which passes through a sleeve rotatably mounted in a housing. A handwheel is attached to the sleeve. Turning the handwheel causes the sleeve to rotate. This rotation is translated into an axial movement of the valve rod by means of threads on the valve rod and sleeve. The valve rod protrudes from the handwheel and has a cross hole to accommodate a bracket of a U-lock. As a result, the valve can be blocked in an open position of the closing member.

The WO 2000/022327 A1 proposes a hand-operated valve whose valve rod can be adjusted in an axial direction using a handwheel. This adjustment can be blocked using a U-lock, the shackle of which is inserted through a hole in the handwheel.

A disc valve with a hand lever adjustment of the closing element provides the DE 10 2013 005 458 A1 before. A retrofittable component is proposed which surrounds the part of the valve where the hand lever is connected to the valve rod. The component has at least one opening through which a shackle of a U-lock can be inserted. If the hand lever passes through the bracket of the With the U-lock mounted on the component in this way, the valve is secured against adjustment of the closing element.

Out of US 5,236,172 A a valve is known with a locking device for locking the valve. The locking device comprises a housing with at least one bore and a spindle arranged in the housing with a pair of transverse bores and a locking pin which can be selectively inserted into the housing bore and one of the spindle bores in order to allow rotation of the spindle relative to the housing in a first or to lock second position. An existing valve should be able to be retrofitted with the locking device.

It was therefore the object of the invention to create a valve which can be fixed in a position cost-effectively with increased security.

This task is solved by a valve with the features of claim 1. The dependent claims specify advantageous developments.

The valve has a closing member which can be brought from a closed position to an open position by a rotary movement about an axis of rotation transverse to a flow direction. The closing member can be shaped as a disk. A valve of this type is also called a disc valve and includes a shaft that is connected to the closing member and that includes a shaft end. Valves in which the closing member and shaft are manufactured as one part, for example by using a forging process, are cost-effective and hygienic. The valve further comprises a valve housing, an adjusting device, which has an adjusting device housing and includes a receptacle in which the shaft end can be received.

It is proposed to directly block a shaft that is directly or indirectly connected to a closing element.

For this purpose, it is provided that a shaft section comprises a passage, which can be brought into congruence with two openings on the housing side, and that the passage and openings can be passed through by a securing body, and the connection of the shaft and shaft section is secured against loosening when the passage and openings are in congruence condition. “Housing side” means an arrangement on one standing part of the valve or a component attached to it. In the case of the adjustment device, it is the adjustment device housing. "Openings" can be drilled through holes or U-shaped recesses. The function to be fulfilled is to fix the securing body against rotational movement around the axis of rotation.

The blocking of the movement of the closing member takes place in the manner presented close to the axis of rotation and not radially offset from it as in the prior art. The The risk of incorrect operation or bypassing the blockage is greatly reduced in this way. The arrangement is inexpensive and can be retrofitted.

According to the invention, a structurally simple and cost-effective retrofitting is achieved by arranging an intermediate housing between the adjusting device and the valve and having an intermediate shaft which is coupled to the adjusting shaft of the adjusting device and the shaft of the valve. The intermediate shaft then takes over the function of the shaft section.

According to the invention, the security of the arrangement against unintentional actuation of the valve is increased in that the shaft and intermediate shaft are secured with a screw connection, with a cover covering the screw in particular when the valve is in the switching position to be blocked. The screw is then no longer accessible and the shaft and intermediate shaft are reliably connected to each other. The locking element can no longer be fixed.

An advantageously safe development that is well suited for power transmission during valve actuation provides for the shaft end to be received in a second receptacle on the intermediate shaft, the receptacle and second receptacle being geometrically similar to one another. This also makes it possible to retrofit the arrangement with the intermediate housing and the intermediate shaft. The component with an intermediate shaft, which contains the LoTo function, is only used between the valve and the adjusting device, whereby the geometric similarity results in a function-preserving coupling of the shaft, intermediate shaft and adjusting shaft. According to a cost-effective, technically simple design that is safe against incorrect operation due to the use of fewer components, a section of a shackle of a U-lock, for example a padlock, is used as a security body.

In another performance, a bolt is used as a locking device. It has a head which is larger than the hole in the passage, so that the securing body is positively secured in a first direction. In the other direction, the fixing is done, for example, by a U-lock, which goes through a transverse bore of the securing body is inserted, this transverse bore being arranged on the side of the adjusting device or intermediate housing opposite the head. Such a bolt is advantageous for large valve sizes, as U-locks are not available in just any size. It is also advantageous for the installation space required, since a bolt can be used more easily in tight spaces than a long U-lock.

Additional safety during normal operation and when setting in a desired position is provided by an embodiment in which positive locking elements are provided on the adjusting device housing and intermediate housing, which secure the adjusting device housing, intermediate housing and valve against mutual rotation by means of a positive locking connection. In this way it is prevented that the closing member is adjusted by rotating the intermediate housing.

The presented embodiments advantageously work together safely with adjustment devices that include a hand lever for manual actuation of the valve. The versions can also be used with pneumatic adjustment devices.

Using exemplary embodiments and their further developments, the invention will be explained in more detail and the presentation of the effects and advantages will be deepened.

Fig. 1:

Schnitt durch ein Ventil gemäß erstem Beispiel in Offenstellung;

Fig. 2:

Schnitt durch ein Ventil gemäß einer erfindungsgemäßen Weiterbildung;

Fig. 3:

Teilschnitt A durch das Ventil gemäß Fig. 2;

Fig. 4:

Perspektivischer Anblick des Zwischengehäuses.

Show it:

Fig. 1:

Section through a valve according to the first example in the open position;

Fig. 2:

Section through a valve according to a development according to the invention;

Fig. 3:

Partial section A through the valve according to Fig. 2 ;

Fig. 4:

Perspective view of the intermediate housing.

According to the example Fig. 1 shows a valve 110 with a closing member 112, which can be brought from a closed position to an open position by a rotational movement about an axis of rotation Q which is transverse to a flow direction L, with a shaft 114 which is connected to the closing member and which includes a shaft end 116, with a valve housing 118, with an adjusting device 120, which has an adjusting device housing 122 and an adjusting shaft 124 has a receptacle 126 in which the shaft end 116 can be received, and is characterized in that the actuating shaft 124 has a passage 128 includes, which can be brought into congruence with two holes in the adjusting device housing 122, passage and holes can be passed through by a securing body 130, and the axis of rotation Q intersects the securing body 130.

The actuating shaft 124 forms a shaft section which includes the passage 128, which can be brought into congruence with two openings on the housing side, and passage 128 and openings 158 can be passed through by a securing body 130, and the connection of shaft and shaft section is secured against loosening when passage 128 and openings 158 are in cover.

The security body 130 can be a bracket of a U-lock. Since this requires a special U-lock for large valves, it is advantageous to design the security body 130 as an independent component and to provide it with a hole which receives the bracket 132 of a standard U-lock 134.

The shaft end 116 received in the receptacle 126 of the actuating shaft 124 can be secured against rotation relative to one another by a positive design of the receptacle 126 and the shaft end 116. A screw 136 secures this connection of the adjusting shaft 124 and the shaft end 116 against movement in the direction of the transverse axis Q. The screw 136 is accessible via an opening 138 in the adjusting device housing 122.

In order to additionally secure the locking member 112 in one position caused by the securing body 130 and U-lock 134, a cover for the opening 138 can be provided. This cover is advantageously fixed by the U-lock 134. Alternatively or additionally, it can be permanently connected to the securing body 130, for example by a material connection. The cover can, for example, be designed as a shell section (half-shell or the like), which nestles against an outer wall of the adjusting device housing 122.

The adjusting device housing 122 has at least one form-fitting element 140, which engages with the valve housing 118 and prevents the adjusting device housing 122 from rotating against the valve housing 118.

The adjusting device 120 has a hand lever 142, which is movable in a radial direction transverse to the transverse axis Q against the force of a spring 144. With this movement, a nose 146 is removed from a locking receptacle 148 on the adjusting device housing 122. Only when the nose 146 is removed from the locking receptacle 148 is the actuating shaft 124 able to rotate about the transverse axis Q. If the nose 146 is accommodated in the locking receptacle 148, the actuating shaft 124 is secured against rotation about the transverse axis Q.

The Fig. 2 , Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 show a further development of the valve described according to the invention.

In Fig. 2 a section through a valve 210 with a closing member 212 designed as a disk is shown. The closing member 212 is rotatably mounted in a valve housing 218 about a transverse axis Q. The transverse axis Q is transverse to the flow direction L, along which flow can flow through the valve housing 218, for example at a right angle. The rotation of the closing member 212 about the transverse axis Q can be effected with the help of an adjusting device 220. This can have a hand lever 242.

The section A Fig. 2 is in Fig. 3 shown. In this development, the adjusting device 220 also has a hand lever 242 held in an adjusting device housing 222. The hand lever 242 is movable relative to the adjuster housing 222 against the force of a spring 244 in order to move a nose 246, which is provided at one of its ends, out of a locking receptacle 248. When the nose 246 is received in the locking receptacle 248, the hand lever 242 is not movable in a circumferential direction about the transverse axis Q. When the nose 246 is pulled out of the locking receptacle 248, this movement in the circumferential direction is possible. This movement causes the actuating shaft 224 to rotate about the transverse axis Q.

The rotation of the actuating shaft 224 is transmitted to an intermediate shaft 250 which is connected to it and forms a shaft section and which is received in sections in a receptacle 226. Recording 226 and the section of the intermediate shaft 250 received therein are designed to transmit force, for example by forming a positive connection in the circumferential direction around the transverse axis Q. This positive connection can be replaced or supported with a screw 236.

The intermediate shaft 250 is rotatably accommodated in an intermediate housing 252, which is supported in a rotationally fixed manner on the valve housing 218. The intermediate shaft 250 has a second receptacle 254 in which the shaft end 216 connected to the closing member is accommodated in a rotationally fixed manner. This arrangement converts a rotation of the actuating shaft 224 about the transverse axis Q initiated with the hand lever 242 into a rotation of the shaft 214 and brings the valve 210 from a closed to an open position and vice versa.

The connection of intermediate shaft 250 and shaft 214 can advantageously be secured, for example with a second screw 256. This passes through an opening in the second receptacle 254 and is in engagement with a thread in the shaft end 216, so that at least a positive connection against movement along the transverse axis Q is created.

It is advantageous to arrange the second screw 256 in at least one angular position of the intermediate shaft 250 covered by the intermediate housing 252. This is preferably the angular position in which the valve should be secured. This prevents removal of the second screw 256 and fixes the valve even more securely in its position.

The intermediate shaft 250 can be blocked against rotation about the transverse axis Q by a securing body 230 passing through openings and/or recesses in the intermediate shaft 250 and in the intermediate housing 252. The security body 230 can in turn be secured against removal by a U-lock. The intermediate shaft 250 can have more than one opening or recess, which are arranged angularly offset from one another, so that the valve can be fixed in one of several positions.

In Fig. 4 the intermediate housing 252 is shown in a perspective view. A passage 228 for receiving the fuse body 230 is easier to see in this illustration. By rotating the intermediate shaft 250, the passage 228 openings 258 can be brought into line so that the securing body 230 passes through the passage 228 and opening 258. This blocks further rotation of the intermediate shaft 250. The opening can be a hole, a bore or a recess. In Fig, 4 a form-fitting element 240 can also be seen, which ensures the support of the intermediate housing 252 on the Valve housing 218 counteracts rotation about the transverse axis Q. The intermediate shaft 250 has flat surfaces 260. The flat surfaces 260 create a multi-surface which interacts with a corresponding multi-surface in the receptacle 226, so that the intermediate shaft 250 is received in a form-fitting manner in the receptacle 226.

An additional advantage of using the Fig. 2 to Fig. 4 The exemplary embodiment explained is that the intermediate housing 252 and intermediate shaft 250 can be retrofitted to existing valves. This advantage is deepened by the receptacle 226 and the second receptacle 254 being shaped geometrically similar to one another.

This example therefore describes a valve 210 with a closing member 212, which can be brought from a closed position to an open position by a rotational movement about an axis of rotation Q which is transverse to a flow direction L, with a shaft 214 which is connected to the closing member 212 and which is a Shaft end 216 includes, with a valve housing 218, with an adjusting device 220, which has an adjusting device housing 222 and includes a receptacle 226 in which the shaft end 216 can be received, and with an intermediate housing 252 with an intermediate shaft 250 rotatably received therein, which is connected to the shaft 214 connected and recorded in the receptacle 226. This valve 210 is characterized in that the intermediate shaft 250 comprises a passage 228, which can be brought into congruence with two openings 258 in the intermediate housing, and passage 228 and openings 258 can be passed through by a securing body 230, and the connection of shaft 214 and intermediate shaft 250 is secured against loosening when passage 228 and openings 258 are in line.

The exemplary embodiment according to the Fig. 2 , 3 and 4 is shown with an adjustment device that can be operated manually. However, the adjusting device can also be designed to be operated by pressure medium, for example pneumatically. In such an embodiment, it makes sense to make the connections between the adjusting device and the intermediate housing and between the intermediate housing and the valve housing secure. This can be done, for example, with the help of screws which pass through a flange on a first component, for example an adjusting device housing and an intermediate housing, and are accommodated in threads in the respectively assigned other component, for example an intermediate housing and a valve housing. The The number of screws in the respective connection depends, among other things, on the valve size and the forces and torques transmitted via the shaft between the adjusting device and the closing element.

A particular advantage of the exemplary embodiments presented is that the valve is fixed in a position not by fixing an operating element of the adjusting device such as the hand lever or a handwheel, but rather by blocking the shaft of the valve or a shaft connected to it as directly as possible.

Reference symbol list

110; 210

Valve

112; 212

Closing link

114; 214

Wave

116; 216

shaft end

118; 218

Valve housing

120; 220

Adjustment device

122; 222

Adjustment device housing

124; 224

actuating shaft

126; 226

Recording

128; 228

passage

130; 230

fuse body

132

hanger

134

U-lock

136; 236

screw

138

opening

140; 240

Positive locking element

142; 242

Hand lever

144; 244

Feather

146; 246

Nose

148; 248

Locking mount

250

Intermediate shaft

252

Intermediate housing

254

second shot

256

second screw

158; 258

Opening for fuse body

260

flat surface

L

Direction of flow

Q

Transverse axis

Claims (8)

1. A valve (110; 210) having a closing member (112; 212) which can be brought from a closed position into an open position by a rotational movement about an axis of rotation (Q) which is transverse to a through-flow direction (L), having a shaft (114; 214) which is connected to the closing member (112; 212) and which comprises a shaft end (116; 216), having a valve housing (118; 218), having an adjusting device (120; 220) which has an adjusting device housing (122; 222) and comprises a receptacle (126; 226) in which the shaft end (116; 216) can be received, wherein a shaft portion comprises a passage (128; 228) which can be made congruent with two housing-side openings (158; 258), and the passage (128; 228) and the openings (158; 258) can be penetrated by a securing body (130; 230), and a connection between the shaft (114; 214) and the shaft portion is secured against release when the passage (128; 228) and the openings (158, 258) are congruent, wherein an intermediate housing (252) is provided with an intermediate shaft (250) which is rotatably received therein and which is connected to the shaft (214) and is received in the receptacle (226), and which comprises the shaft portion with the passage (228), and the two openings (258) are formed in the intermediate housing (252), characterized in that a screw (256) penetrates an opening of the intermediate shaft (250) and engages with the shaft (214), and the screw (256) can be covered by the intermediate housing (252) for securing against release.
2. The valve according to claim 1, characterized in that the intermediate shaft (250) comprises a second receptacle (254) in which the shaft end (216) can be received and which is formed geometrically similar to the receptacle (226).
3. The valve according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the securing body (130; 230) is a portion of a shackle of a shackle lock (134).
4. The valve according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises the securing body (130; 230) and the securing body (130; 230) comprises a bolt with a head, which is larger than the passage (128; 228), and a bore for receiving a lock shackle.
5. The valve according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the adjusting device (120; 220) comprises a hand lever (142; 242) with which the rotational movement can be brought about.
6. The valve according to claim 5, characterized in that interlocking elements (240) are provided on the adjusting device housing (222) and the intermediate housing (252) which secure the adjusting device housing (222), the intermediate housing (252) and the valve (210) against mutual rotation by means of an interlocking connection.
7. The valve according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the adjusting device (120; 220) comprises a piston actuated by a pressure medium.
8. The valve according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the closing member (112; 212) comprises a disc.

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